The First 24
by LadieTAG
Summary: Set in the Undefeated universe, this story deals with the first 24 hours after the story "Where Do We Go From Here?"


The First Date

The alarm went of for a second time that morning at 11:30. Jane hit the off button and turned to face Daria. Stroking the auburn-haired woman's cheek, Jane was rewarded when Daria awoke with a slight smile. Both women realized that their hands were still interlocked. Jane gave Daria's hand a gentle squeeze before getting up.

"I'll go make a quick breakfast while you get a shower. What time do you have to leave?" Jane asked as she made her way to Daria's bedroom door.

"As long as I am out the door by 12:15, I'll make to class without any problems," Daria answered as she crawled out of bed.

Daria walked towards her Psychology book and sighed. Although she had a solid A in the class, she feared that the exam was going to be brutal. Standing in the shower, Daria tried to process everything that had happened in the past 16 or so hours. Jane came home and found me passed out. The next thing I know, she's angry with me because I hadn't eaten or slept. After dinner, we talked about her new job and I passed out again. This morning, I find her in bed with me. Wait - I remember her saying that she and Jason broke up. Maybe I'm reading more into this than there is. I'm sure that she just wanted not to be alone. If that was the case, she would have left my bed at seven this morning instead of 11:30. Why were our hands still intertwined and more importantly - why did I suddenly feel turned on when she stroked my cheek? I can't deal with this right now - I need to make a decent grade on this exam to make the President's List. A sudden blast of cold water made Daria realize that she had spent too much time thinking and not enough time showering. She finished her shower and quickly dried off and got dressed. Her arm hairs were still standing up when she walked into the kitchen.

Jane had just finished putting the last pancake on Daria's plate. Daria walked towards the coffee pot and poured two cups of coffee. Looking at the clock, she had twenty-five minutes to eat. Jane was sitting across from her, staring down at her plate as a blanket of silence covered them both. When Daria cleared her throat, Jane almost jumped out of her chair.

"My exam will be over by five. When I get home, I think we need to talk," Daria said.

Jane nodded, "Look - I'm sorry if I weirded you out."

"You didn't, but we still have to talk. I'll see you about five-thirty." Daria grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.

Jane watched her best friend walk out of the apartment they shared. She went and sat down on the living room couch and buried her head in her hands. Soon her mind flooded with memories of her and Daria, the Tom episode, Allison and the art camp. The more she thought about it, the more she began to realize exactly when she first developed feelings for Daria - it was when they were standing on Jodie's porch after graduation. She had just told Daria about getting into BFAC and saw a rare, full smile come over her best friend's face. Jane shelved the emotions - Daria was still hurting from her break-up with Tom and Jane didn't want to face the knowledge that maybe Allison had been right about her. Last night though, in the silence of Daria's room, everything changed.

Jane did her best to keep herself occupied. After doing what little bit of housework that needed to be done, she headed to her bedroom and put a blank canvas on the easel. Soon, her hand was painting the image that was foremost in her mind: Daria sleeping peacefully next to her with her own arm wrapped around the shorter woman. The scene filled Jane with a sense of peace and fear at the same time. What if Daria was angry or told her to go to hell? What if Daria asked her to move out and never wanted to speak to her again? Jane quickly shook off those thoughts. Daria seemed to enjoy it or she wouldn't have had me stay. She looked over at the clock - Daria would be home in about two hours, all she could do was wait.

The drive to Raft was a blur. Daria parked her Cruiser and headed to her Psych class on auto-pilot. Professor Tucker watched from behind his glasses as Daria took her seat. Usually, she greeted him with a smile and a hello, but today it seemed that her mind was far away from his lecture room. As if on a delayed reflex, Daria looked up and gave him a small smile and a wave. Soon, the last of her fellow students straggled in right as the clock chimed informing the room that it was one.

"You have four hours to complete this exam, so take your time. If you finish early, do yourself a favor and just double check your answers. Once your exam is handed back to me, there is no turning back. The moment your exam has been turned in, you may leave and enjoy your breaks," Professor Tucker said as the exams were being handed around the room.

Daria stared down at the papers stapled in front of her. The words appeared jumbled, incoherent. Come on and focus, Morgendorffer. All she could think about was Jane stroking her cheek and the two of them in bed together. Feeling her face start to blush, Daria quickly shook her head to get her mind back on track. She looked at her watch - nearly thirty minutes had passed and her exam was still blank. Taking a long, deep breath she began to answer the questions as quickly as possible. Maybe keeping a steady pace would help her mind from wandering. An hour later, Daria noticed that several students were starting to turn back in their exams. She was about two-thirds of the way done. By the two and half hour mark, there were only herself and two other students left. She still had two essay questions to answer. She wrote the last line of her last essay at four o'clock. Taking another couple of minutes to review her answers, Daria handed in her exam at a quarter after four.

"I'm sorry Professor Tucker - I should have been done a long time ago."

Professor Tucker waved it off, "It's okay - you were finished by five, that's all I care about. Although, I was worried there for a while that you weren't going to be done in time."

"I was having a hard time concentrating on the exam. I had someon - thing on my mind."

Professor Tucker nodded as stroked his goatee. "Well, I hope it all works out. I saw that you signed up for my Advanced Class next semester. It's not very often that a non-Psych major takes that course."

"I want to be a writer. Your class has really helped me with creating realistic characters. Have a good summer, Professor Tucker."

"You too, Ms. Morgendorffer."

It was a few minutes before five when Jane heard the front door open. She listened as Daria dropped her keys on the kitchen counter and opened the fridge. Jane was hesitant about leaving her room and froze when she heard the knock on her door.

"Can I come in?" Daria's voice sounded tired through the door.

Jane got up and opened the door. Daria stepped into the room, grabbed the desk chair and moved it next to Jane's bed. Jane sat back down and the two stared at each other in silence. Jane reached out and took Daria's hand in hers. Daria was going to pull her hand back at first, but relented and allowed it to stay in the raven-haired woman's firm, but gentle grip.

"I don't want to be some sort of experimental or rebound thing for you," Daria whispered.

"You won't be - I've had feelings for you for a couple of years. I didn't admit to them then, because you were still hurting from the break-up with Tom. When I finally made it here, we were both knee-deep in schoolwork and projects. Then you started dating Andrew and I began my chain of short-term relationships, knowing they wouldn't last. When you broke up with Andrew, I knew that I would have to wait even longer. Jason was a pleasant distraction - but he wasn't who I wanted to be with. I was also afraid that admitting to you my feelings might jeopardize or destroy our friendship."

Daria nodded slowly. She had only dated one other guy after Tom. The relationship ended quite badly, with Daria finding him in bed with her dorm mate. Despite her own fear, she knew she was also lonely as hell. Jane was one of the very few people she had let into world, and one of even fewer that she allowed her defenses to be down around. Yet here the roles were reversed - Jane had taken a huge risk and now it was herself being allowed behind Jane's walls. Despite the aura of confidence that surrounded her best friend, Daria knew that Jane was just as guarded with her emotions as she was. Looking into the pair of azure eyes staring at her, Daria could see fear, hope, and love. A small smile came over Daria's face and her auburn eyes brightened.

"Let's give it a try," Daria said.

Daria watched as all of the nervousness washed away from Jane's face as a content and true smile came over her face. Jane stood up and guided Daria to her feet. Wrapping her arms around the shorter woman, Jane felt as though this is what she had been missing in her life. In that moment, Jane knew that the road they were about to head down was going to be a hard one, but as long as they were by each other's sides - they were unstoppable.

As they broke from their embrace, Jane asked Daria if she would like to go out for dinner and a movie. Daria smirked as she accepted Jane's offer. Their first "date" consisted of pizza at Bertolinni's and going to see "Insomnia". The two returned home and began their usual night-time routines. Jane headed to her room to change and heard Daria's patterned knock on her door. Daria stepped inside and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Daria could feel the heat rise off of Jane's cheek as a slight blush came over them. As she was leaving the room, Daria saw the picture. After staring at if for several moments, Daria turned to Jane, grabbed her hand, and led her out of the room. Jane followed as Daria headed towards her room. Not even bothering to turn on the light, they walked over to the bed and went to lay down. Jane took Daria's glasses off and placed them on the stand then gave the shorter woman a quick kiss before wrapping her in a warm embrace as sleep and dreams of their future came over them.

End


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